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A cheeky attempt to make a new game on the cheap

Acclaim were a very strange creator of wrestling video games back in the day - after Midway gave it a very arcadey approach, they decided to opt for a more refined approach that requires you to think about the match and press special combos to pull of moves. The only problem is that it becomes rather mechanical, and of course, most people aren't going to remember any of these, resulting in both players pressing pause every few seconds to figure out how to do a dropkick. WWF Attitude was well crafted enough that I let them get away with it, but ECW Hardcore Revolution is a pretty naff addition to the wrestling game genre.

The reason why Acclaim tackled ECW was because their license expired with the WWF, and presumably they couldn't afford to renew it, so they close the sloppy seconds that are ECW. It's not so much that the game is terrible - it has a fairly large roster considering how few ECW wrestlers there actually are, and all the favourites such as Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman are in there, but the controls are just too cumbersome for the casual viewer that it's really a rather awkward and not too satisfying experience.

The only real spice of the mix is the new Barbed Wire Match mode, although sadly that's all that's new - it wasn't until the later game Anarchy Rulz was released that insane modes such as Inferno matches were added. Sadly, aside from that, it's as though, aside from bringing in Joey Styles to do some admittedly fairly decent voiceover work, they've just overlaid the ECW wrestler details over WWF Attitude, changed some of the visuals and added some new music - even when it was first released, and I was about 12, I wouldn't have been suckered in by this. A very crude cash-in if I've ever seen it, and a disappointment considering what could have been.

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When I heard the news last year that Acclaim had lost the WWF licence to THQ, I breathed a large sigh of relief and celebrated with a stone cold beverage. With EA developing WCW games, the only real alternative that Acclaim had left (apart from the rubbish dump), was to take their mediocre wrestling series and apply it to the Extreme Championship Wrestling franchise. Judging by this first offering, the rubbish dump was probably the better option. There are three main reasons why ECW Hardcore Revolution does not deserve your attention: WWF Attitude was poor; ECW Hardcore Revolution is almost identical to Attitude; the game does not begin to take advantage of the Dreamcast's capabilities. I expect that the vast majority of people reading this will not of heard of the ECW organisation, and rightly so. The reason being that there is no television coverage whatsoever of this extra-violent alternative to the WWF and WCW this side of the Atlantic. In the US, ECW appeals to fans of real hardcore wrestling, concentrating more on over-the-top carnage and brutal action rather than storylines and flash. It's a formula that, in the right hands, could make for a very interesting and fun videogame. Sadly, not for the first time, Acclaim have let everyone down. To be honest, the only reason why I can be bothered to continue this review is knowing that if it helps stop people from buying this feeble excuse for a wrestling game, then my efforts will have been worthwhile. But what's this I hear you say? You bought WWF Attitude and think it is a good game? In that case you will probably be foolish enough to waste more money on this title too. Like it or not, Attitude was a very flawed wrestler, with the only favourable aspects of the game being its WWF licence and a decent create-a-wrestler mode. Surprise, surprise, Hardcore Revolution does nothing to rectify any of the faults from its predecessor. Instead, Acclaim are trying to rip you off by essentially recycling their last crappy product with a few minor changes. It doesn't make for a pretty picture, folks. Perhaps the outcome wouldn't be quite so bad if Attitude was a half-decent title. Do these guys at Acclaim actually believe that they have a good wrestling engine here? The 'Mortal Kombat-like' control scheme is so out of date it's laughable. The wrestlers walk about like robots with constipation, performing rigid motion captured manoeuvres on opponents who do nothing to 'sell' the moves. It makes you wonder whether the creators have ever watched a wrestling match before. ECW is renowned for its high flying stunts and use of tables and weapons, yet in Hardcore Revolution, you will find it difficult to perform anything other than body slam without looking at a list of moves which you've printed out from the internet, while desperately trying to memorise the eight-button combinations. Some people may prefer this frustratingly complex control set-up, but when it comes to ease of play and fun, Acclaim's engine sucks big time. The gameplay is actually slightly quicker than in Attitude, but this only makes things more difficult because you have less time to tap the different directions and buttons required to perform a simple DDT, before you're opponent knocks you down with a punch or a bodyslam. The graphics have been cleaned up a little since the last instalment but look poor compared to top Dreamcast titles. The characters are all modelled reasonably well (nowhere near the standard of Soul Calibur, for example), but what's the point when they seemingly have no personality. The overall look of the game can best be described as bland. Look at the arena's and the crowd, for instance, and you'll see a few 'cardboard cut-out' figures standing before you. Perhaps Acclaim thought that since the action in the ring is so rubbish, it's only fair that their should just be a handful of static fi gures in the audience to watch it. The sound is the same sort of thing as in Attitude, with the appropriate changes in commentary, entrance music and voice samples from the wrestlers and crowd. Overall there is the same lack of atmosphere that was present last time, thanks to dull commentary and out-of place speech. The Dreamcast is capable of much better than this. With the exception of the much-hyped barbed wire match (which I'll get to in a minute), if you've experienced the various options in Attitude you can practically navigate your way around Hardcore Revolution with your eyes closed, such is the extent of the similarity between the two. All of the match options are the same with a subtle name change here and there. For example, a hardcore match is now called a deathmatch. Oooh, don't push yourself too hard Acclaim! Possibly the most anticipated feature of Hardcore Revolution, the inclusion of the infamous barbed wire match is in keeping with the rest of the game - an extreme disappointment. The ring ropes are replaced by some awful-looking chicken wire, which cause your wrestler or opponent to fall over upon contact with them. Wow, some innovative mode that turned out to be! At the end of the day, this review shouldn't have gone on as long as it has. I should have just begged with you not to buy this game. PLEASE! DON'T WASTE YOU'RE MONEY! However, as I look in horror at the Dreamcast charts to see ECW Hardcore Revolution sitting prettily at number 5, I thought I'd better give you the reasons why to stay well away and not jump at the chance to buy this title simply because it claims to contain wrestling. Remember - this is a very bad rip-off of a very bad game. Consider that before you hand over £40 for a piece of junk (something you might have already done if you were stupid enough to buy WWF Attitude). Sure, there is a large line-up of wrestlers, which I haven't been bothered to mention, since you will pro bably have never heard of them. Besides, bar a few different finishing manoeuvres, all the moves are exactly the same as in that other wrestling game from Acclaim I keep mentioning. Dreamcast owners waiting for a top wrestling game should look out for a version of the excellent WWF Wrestlemania 2000 for the N64 or WWF SmackDown for the PlayStation later this year. ECW Hardcore Revolution should carry a large warning on the front of the case - not for the excessive amount of blood or the occasionally dirty voice samples - but for the fact that this is one of the worst attempts at re-creating a 'sport' in a video game, and one of the biggest rip-offs that I have ever had the misfortune of playing. Sort it out Acclaim.

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Acclaim are back with their 2nd Sega Dreamcast wrestling title. Due to losing the rights to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) name and characters, they have now been forced to use the characters of the less well known, Extreme Championship Wrestling. ECW is pretty big in the USA, but here in Britain there isn't really that much of a fanbase. Video tapes are now available though, and will probably get ECW into the UK spotlight. ECW Hardcore Revolution, is not a bad game though. It features a full roster of ECW superstars such as: Rob Van Dam, Rhino, Tommy Dreamer and now former ECW superstars, Tazz, Mike Awesome & Sabu. The moves are very much like the WWF Attitude game that was previously released. It has a very hard control system too. It looks like Acclaim have just put the ECW characters over the WWF superstars and kept the moves etc, the exact same. All the modes are also the same but one new match stipulation has been added, The Barbed Wire Match! The only real way it is involved in the match is when you are whipped off the ropes, you fall to your knees and your back begins to bleed. Good the first time you try it but the next few times is the same. ECW also features the same (and may I add very tedious) career mode which seems to go on for years. Joey Styles commentary which is a huge improvement on the Attitude announcers and also the chants from the crowd are excellent. I would not recommend this title to anyone if you have even played Attitude (for any format). Only and I mean only, if you are a real Hardcore! ECW fan, should you buy this game, because firstly you won't have a clue who the characters are and secondly you won't be interested. Good but so was Attitude!

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Please see end of review for revised opinion!! Should be the real title of this game, what a shocking disappointment this game is. Any fan of ECW or WWF will know the difference between the two, though apparently Acclaim don't. The game is basically WWF attitude with a different set of wrestlers. They haven't even changed the weapons for the Hardcore matches. ECW is very entertaining on TV and has its own diffinitive style, this mock up really does ECW no favours as it is a cheap copy of WWF Attitude, something that the real ECW is not. I was very disappointed with this game on the Dreamcast especially as it makes no effort to make use of the Dreamcasts amazing processing power. There is a rumour of a new ECW title in the pipeworks, great things are expected and I hope it will do for the DC what SmackDown! Did for the Playstation. In the meantime I will have to content myself with watching Bravo! Revision 19th September When I wrote that opinion I had admitadly tried the game and then cast it down out of disgust. However on a rainy Saturday last week I made a return to ECW Revolution, now while I am not saying that this game is good it does have the grains of potential that I had previously missed, this game is not a classic and there are far better wrestling games around, what it has though is some playability that tries desperatly to match the fluid style of ECW, something that any game would have trouble matching, revisit this game on closer inspection it is not simply the clone of attitude that it appears, you do need to stick at it however and master those moves!!

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I love watching ECW in real life.The matches are almost always quality and there are some insane moments you wouldn`t believe.So,to get to the point,Iwas really looking forward to this game.Unfortunately after I`d played it a couple of times I realised all I was getting was WWF Attitude with Ecw wrestlers replacing Triple H,The Rock and co.The game hasn`t even got the real entrance music because Acclaim wouldn`t pay for the liscenses for the real thing.If you`ve got WWF Attitude don`t even think about buying this game as you`ll have played it all before.

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The famous stars of the WWF may not be in this game but the action is still there. This game as the title suggest is extreme and brutal. It may only have the same graphics as the WWF Attitude but there is more to a game than its graphics. There are tons of new and amazing moves in this game, which in my opinion makes it better than Attitude. There are move weapons and more stuff in create a wrestler. Even the famous barbered wire match has been included. All the Ecw stars are there but unless you watch Ecw on Bravo at 11o’clock at the weekends you are not really going to appreciate this. This is a good game for ECW fans and maybe the WWF fans.

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This game is great, I've sent a lot of time playing it and I still keep on playing it just basically because I love ECW! The gameplay is basically the Same as Attitude but that not that bad, and it a little faster. The Graphics are Good but not on par with most DC games! The sound as far as comentary and music is fine but the wrestlers each have what seems to be their own separate volume. Though this is rather addictive and would keep you occupied for a good few months

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Finally, there is a half decent wrestling game on Dreamcast. After losing the WWF license and immediately carting out WWF Attitude, we have a slightly more polished title. Being a fan of ECW, I can appreciate the atmosphere that Acclaim have included in this game. The barbed wire match option does not disappoint, and some of the old game modes from WWF Attitude have been improved to no end. The game plays well, and is in its element when in multiplayer mode. However, there is still a lot of room for improvement in the overall quality of the in-game animation - some of the moves need to look more painful! Overall, this is a much better game than previous efforts, but I'm still waiting for a THQ developed wrestling game.

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ECW by Aklaim is nothing but a disgrace to ECW. You would think that the most hardcore wrestling would not settle for another run of the mill game. Sadly they did. Hardcore revolution is nothing but a straight ripoff of WWF attitude. Too bad attitude is the worse wrestling game out there. After this game I hope aklaim tosses in the towl on wrestling games. The problem lies in the game setup. The graphics are ok but the gameplay overshadows them. The moves require stopping and looking at a move list, then trying to memorize and pull off combos in the middle of the game. The real trouble with this game is the fact that anyone who can hit the punch button can win. The game turns into a big punch and kick fest with doesn't cut it with other titles out like WWF smackdown and Wrestlemania 2000. If your a person who loves wrestling pass on this game.

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I don?t know how many people have bought this game and have bought WWF attitude but I think that anyone who has will have noticed that they are exactly the same apart from the colours and music, wrestler names and the move names. The actual moves and game modes are the same but there is one extra mode in ECW hardcore revolution, the barbed wire match but when you whip your opponent into the wires they just fall over and get up again and they don?t bleed or anything. When you hit them with a steel chair they get straight up and when you have pinned them for three, they kick out and get up ready to fight you again. When their health is as low as it can go and one punch will make them dizzy for hours they can still perform all of their moves with no energy. The graphics are poor and the game altogether needs to be sorted out. The producers of this game need to seriously think about the copyright laws in this country and to abide by them. The steel cage matches can be fun and it just gets better with more players. In a battle royal (more well known as a royal rumble) there once again can only be four wrestlers in the ring at one time. It does give you a good chance of winning though as if your player gets tossed out of the ring you will be controlling the guy who replaces him. The hardcore matches give you a chance to kick some easy meat but the weapons are not very good. You get the odd television and ladder and sometimes even a table but it proves difficult to be entertained by hitting someone over the head with a plunger or a guitar. This game doesn?t make me want to walk over to my dusty shelf and pick up this game because once you have played it a few times and won the belts its easy so its boring. One positive factor though is that once you have won the final belt you don?t just defend it five times and start again, oh no, you defend it until you lose it. I should have just left it on the shelf because I already have WWF attitude.

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I already owned WWF Attitude on the playstation but after seeing the capabilities of Dreamcast I had to purchase it for Segas great machine. Attitude has its good points, over forty WWF wrestlers, fifteen match types. Up to four people can play for added fun, plus theres the create a wrestlermode which can be hilarious. The downers though are the ever so average graphics and the slow and repetitive commentary. For all wrestling fans WWF Attitude is a must, if you hate wrestling then avoid this game at all costs, it wont convert you into a fan of wrestling.

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I bought ECW Hardcore Revolution because I thought the commercial looked cool. That, and I had an extra $50 burning a hole in my pocket. Boy, do I feel silly. Having never played WWF Attitude (the games direct predecessor), I am able to judge ECW Hardcore Revolution on its own merits. Quite frankly, the game is disappointing. Playing the game one player is the downfall of the game. The game controls fairly horribly, and moves are a nightmare to pull off. I found myself losing consistently to the computer on easy in season mode to imaginary wrestlers. Any move I tried was either blocked, countered by a punch or kick, or just didn't register. The computer, of course, pulls off moves effortlessly. When I did manage to hit a move, the computer regained its footing instantly only to continue to pummel me. The control is based on a bizarre button masher-ish setup that I just don't have the time or patience to learn. Although I found that if all you press is kick, and I mean only kick, you stand a good chance. Unfortunately, because the game is so disturbingly unplayable, I will never be able to unlock most of the extras that would add a bit of spice to the game. Taz is a hidden character? It might as well be Pope John Paul, because I'll never see him. The only time I enjoyed playing was when I played multiplayer, and everyone involved was as incompetent as me. A level playing field really makes a game fun. At least I felt like I could compete. The game does have a good look to it. Detail on the wrestlers is good, the ring entrances are cool, and the blood effects are always a good laugh. Tommy Dreamer is bleeding from the side of the head! Hit him there again! And there is a certain novelty of being able to control wrestlers who have never made it into a video game before (like RVD or Sabu), but once you get passed that, there isn't much left. Here's to praying that the next time ECW ge ts a game, it doesn't suck. What I'm left with now with Hardcore Revolution is a frustrating gaming experience that will only be brought out of the cobwebs when my dumb buddies come over and I need to entertain them. Cheers!